Adjustable mechanism for a scraper elevator

ABSTRACT

An adjustment mechanism for varying the normal operating position of the lower end of a scraper elevator that includes an arm which supports a portion of the elevator mounting linkage. The support arm extends outwardly from a bracket attached to the side wall of the scraper and has a pair of pins which cooperate with a slot and a plurality of teeth formed with the bracket for allowing adjustment of the arm.

United States Patent Hood et al. Nov. 4, 1975 ADJUSTABLE MECHANISM FOR A3,335,888 8/1967 Kugler 37/8 x SCRAPER ELEVATOR 3,465,454 9/1969 Hancock[75] Inventors: Richard A. Hood, Stow; Thomas L.

Raab, Seven Hills, both of Ohio [73] Assignee: General MotorsCorporation,

Detroit, Mich.

[22] Filed: Nov. 11, 1974 [21] Appl. No.: 522,574

[52] US. Cl. 37/8 [51] Int. Cl. E02F l/00 [58] Field of Search 37/8,124, 126

[56] References Cited UNTTED STATES PATENTS 2,984,022 5/1961 Johnson37/8 Primary Examiner-Stephen C. Pellegrino Attorney, Agent, orFirmEdward J. Biskup ABSIRACT An adjustment mechanism for varying thenormal operating position of the lower end of a scraper elevator thatincludes an arm which supports a portion of the elevator mountinglinkage. The support arm extends outwardly from a bracket attached tothe side wall of the scraper and has a pair of pins which cooperate witha slot and a plurality of teeth formed with the bracket for allowingadjustment of the arm.

3 Claims, 4 Drawing Figures U.S. Patent Nov. 4, 1975 Sheet 1 of 23,916,541

US. Patent Nov. 4, 1975 Sheet 2 of2 3,916,541

ADJUSTABLE MECHANISM FOR A SCRAPER ELEVATOR The present inventionconcerns elevating scrapers in general and more particularly anadjustment mechanism for changing the operating position of the lowerend of the elevator relative to the scraper cutting blade.

It is well known that in order for an elevating scraper to realizeoperating efficiency in the loading of various types of materials, it isimportant to have the capability to readily change the normal spacingbetween the lower flight members of the elevator device and the cuttingblade of the scraper bowl. As a result, it is quite common to have anadjustment mechanism associated with the elevator support linkage forachieving the desired spacing for the type of material that the scraperis loading.

The present invention is directed to an improved adjustment mechanism ofthe above described type which is adapted to be incorporated with anelevator device mounted in a scraper bowl having an open end defined bya pair of laterally spaced side walls and a transversely extendingcutting blade. The elevator device is located in the open end of thescraper bowl and is suspended from the bowl side walls by a linkageconsisting of upper and lower link members pivotally connected to eachside of the elevator device in a manner whereby the lower end of theelevator can float towards and away from the cutting blade. Theadjusting mechanism is connected to each side wall of the bowl andserves to support the forward end of the lower link member and provideadjustable vertical positioning thereof so as to change the spacingbetween the lower flight members and the cutting blade. Morespecifically, the adjustment mechanism according to the inventionincludes a base member attached to the associated side wall and formedwith an elongated slot. The base member is also formed with a pluralityof teeth at its outer edge that are located along a line that issubstantially parallel to the longitudinal axis of the slot. An arm iscombined with a base member and serves to support the forward end of thelower link member and provide adjustable positioning thereof through apair of vertically spaced and parallel pins carried by the arm with theupper pin being slidably received by the slot while the lower pin isadapted to be located between a pair of adjacent teeth for limitingdownward movement of the arm. Repositioning of the support arm, andaccordingly, the lower end of the elevator device, is realized bypivoting the arm about the upper pin so as to remove the lower pin fromengagement with the teeth followed by vertical movement of the arm to anew position and the reengagement of the lower pin with the teeth.

The objects ofthe present invention are to provide an improved mechanismfor quickly adjusting the position of the lower end of a scraperelevator relative to the cutting blade without requiring special tools;to provide an improved adjustment mechanism for varying the position ofthe lower end of a scraper elevator that includes a verticallyadjustable arm supporting a portion of the linkage connecting theelevator to the scraper bowl; and to provide an improved scraper havingan elevator device connected by a linkage to the side walls of a scraperbowl with a portion of the linkage being supported by a pair of armsthat extend laterally inwardly from the side walls and with each armcarrying a pair of pins which cooperate with a slot and a plurality ofteeth formed with a bracket attached to the asso 2 ciated side wall forallowing adjustment of the normal operating position of the lower end ofthe elevator.

Other objects and advantages of the present invention will be apparentfrom the following detailed description when taken with the drawings inwhich:

FIG. 1 is an elevation view showing a rubber-tired overhung elevatingscraper incorporating an elevator device adjustment mechanism made inaccordance with the invention;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged view of the elevator device employed with thescraper of FIG. 1 and shows the adjust ment mechanism more clearly;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged view taken on lines 3-3 of FIG. 2 showing thedetails of construction of the adjustment mechanism; and

FIG. 4 is a view taken on line 4--4 of FIG. 3.

Referring to the drawings and more particularly FIG. 1 thereof, anelevating scraper 10 is shown having the usual overhung tractor l2 and atrailing scraper bowl 14 which are respectively supported by rubbertires 16 and 18. The tractor 12 is connected through a universalcoupling 20 to a pull yoke 21 which includes a goose neck 22 thatextends rearwardly for rigid connection with the usual transverse torquetube 24. As is conventional, the opposite ends of the torque tube 24 areprovided with laterally spaced pull arms 26 and 28 the rear ends ofwhich are connected by transversely aligned pivot connections to theside walls 30 and 32 respectively of the scraper bowl 14. An elevatordevice 34 is located at the front end of the scraper bowl 14 between theside walls 30 and 32 and above a cutting blade 36 which extends betweenthe side walls. The elevator device 34 serves as a means for assistingloading of cut material into the scraper bowl 14.

As is also conventional with elevating scrapers of this type, the frontend of the scraper bowl 14 is supported by a pair ofdouble-acting-hydraulic bowl cylinders one of which is only shown andidentified by reference numeral 38. The upper end of each bowl cylinderis pivotally mounted to the torque tube 24 adjacent the outer endthereof while the lower end of each bowl cylinder is pivotally connectedto the lower forward end to the scraper bowl 14. The bowl cylindersserve to move the scraper bowl 14 between a raised carry-position and alowered dig-position.

As seen in FIG. 2, the elevator device 34 comprises a support frame 40the upper and lower portions of which carry the usual sprocket wheelsand guide wheels about which an endless chain 4l is entrained thatsupports a plurality of transverse flight members. The support frame 40is supported for pivotal movement by a mounting assembly which includesa pair of side wall supported link members 42 and 44. The upper linkmember 42 has one end connected to the associated side wall by a pivotalconnection 46 while the other end is connected to the upper portion ofthe support frame 40 by a pivotal connection 48. The lower link member44 has one end thereof connected by a pivotal connection 50 to theassociated side wall while the other end extends forwardly and isconnected by a pivotal connection 52 to the lower portion of the supportframe 40. An adjustment mechanism 54 according to the invention supportsthe forward end of the lower link member 44 to provide a predeterminedspacing between the flight members of the elevator device and thecutting blade 36. The arrangement is such that the mounting assembly forthe elevator device 34 permits the lower end of the elevator device tobe free to move 3 upwardly under the control of the link members 42 and44, and be limited in downward movement by the adjustment mechanism 54.lt will be understood that an identical adjustment mechanism supportsthe link member corresponding to the link member 44 located on theopposite side of the support frame 40.

As seen in FIGS. 3 and 4, the adjustment mechanism 54 includes a bracketwhich is rigidly secured to the as sociated side wall of the scraperbowl 14. The bracket consists of an elongated base plate member 56 theupper end of which is formed with an elongated slot 58 extendingslightly less than half the length of the base plate member and havingits longitudinal center axis located in a vertical plane. The lowerportion of. the base plate member 56 along its outer edge is formed withthree outwardly extending and upwardly inclined teeth 60, 62 and 64which define U-shaped pockets 66, 68 and 70 that are identical inconfiguration and uniformly spaced along a vertical axis. A support arm72 is combined with the base plate member 56 and is formed from a pairof plate members 74 and 76 each of which is a mirror image of the other.The plate members 74 and 76 are interconnected by a cross bar 78 and apair of pins 80 and 82, and as seen in FIG. 3, each plate member isgenerally V-shaped having one leg 83 formed with an outwardly extendingwing 84 which serves as a support surface for a cushion member 86 madefrom elastomeric material. The other leg 88 of each of the plate members74 and 76 is normally positioned adjacent one side of the base platemember 56 and together with the corresponding leg of the other platemember serves to straddle the upper end of the base plate member 56. Thepin 82 interconnects the upper ends of legs 88 of the plate memberswhile the pin 80 serves to interconnect the lower ends of both legs 83and 88.

From the above description it should be apparent that if it is desiredto move the lower end of the elevator device 34 closer to the cuttingblade 36, this can be accomplished by first placing a large obstacle infront of the elevator device 34 so that the lower portion thereof isforced to climb the obstacle and be raised upwardly causing the lowerend of the link member 44 to move away from the support arm 72 of theadjustment mechanism 54. Thereafter, the support arm 72 is pivoted in acounterclockwise direction, as seen in FIG. 3, about the pin 82 so as toremove the pin 80 from the uppermost pocket 66. The support arm 72 isthen free to move vertically downward as guided by the pin and slotconnection provided by the pin 82 and the slot 58. The support arm 72can then be lowered to an intermediate position with the pin 80 beingpositioned in the pocket 68 or to a fully lowered position with the pin80 located in the pocket 70.

Various changes and modifications can be made in this constructionwithout departing from the spirit of the invention. Such changes andmodifications are contemplated by the inventor and he does not wish tobe limited except by the scope of the appended claims.

We claim:

1. An earthmoving self-loading scraper having a tractor connected by apull yoke to a trailing scraper bowl, said scraper bowl having an openend defined by a pair of laterally spaced side walls and a transversecutting blade extending between the side walls, an elevator devicehaving an upper end and a lower end, a linkage including upper and lowerlink members mounting said elevator device at said open end of thescraper bowl with the lower end of the elevator device being supportedadjacent to and above the cutting blade and being movable about atransverse horizontal axis relative to said cutting blade, one end ofeach of said link members being pivotally connected to said scraper bowland the other end of each of said link members being pivotally connectedto the elevator device, a mechanism for adjusting the position of thelower end of the elevator device relative to the cutting blade, saidmechanism comprising a base member rigidly attached to one of said sidewalls, said base member having an elongated slot formed therein, aplurality of teeth formed along an outer edge of said base member, anarm supporting one of said link members adjacent the other end thereofand being provided with a pair of pins, one of said pins being locatedwithin said slot so as to provide a connection with the base member thatallows said other pin to pivot outwardly relative to said base memberand permits the arm to move upwardly and downwardly whereby said otherpin can be adjustably located between a pair of said plurality-of teethto vary the position of said other end of one of said link members andthe spacing between the lower end of the elevator device and the cuttingblade.

2. An earthmoving self-loading scraper having a tractor connected by apull yoke to a trailing scraper bowl, said scraper bowl having an openend defined by a pair of laterally spaced side walls and a transversecutting blade extending between the side walls, an elevator devicehaving an upper end and a lower end, a linkage including upper and lowerlink members mounting said elevator device at said open end of thescraper bowl with the lower end of the elevator device being supportedadjacent to and above the cutting blade and being movable about atransverse horizontal axis relative to said cutting blade, one end ofeach of said link members being pivotally connected to said scraper bowland the other end of each of said link members being pivotally connectedto the elevator device, a mechanism for each side wall for adjusting theposition of the lower end of the elevator device relative to the cuttingblade, said mechanism comprising a base member rigidly attached to oneof said side walls, said base member having an elongated slot formedtherein, the longitudinal axis of said slot being located in a verticalplane that is parallel to the longitudinal axis of the scraper, aplurality of upwardly inclined teeth formed along an outer edge of saidbase member along a line substantially parallel to the longitudinal axisof said slot, a generally V-shaped arm having a pair of legs, one ofsaid legs supporting the other end of one of said link members the otherof said legs being provided with a pair of vertically spaced parallelpins, one of said pins being located within said slot and said other pinnormally being located between a pair of said plurality of teeth so asto provide a connnection with the base member that allows said other pinto pivot outwardly relative to said base member and permits the arm tomove upwardly and downwardly whereby said other pin can be adjustablylocated between a pair of said plurality of teeth to vary the positionof said other end of one of said link members and the spacing betweenthe lower end of the elevator device and the cutting blade.

3. An earthmoving self-loading scraper having a tractor connected by apull yoke to a trailing scraper bowl, said scraper bowl having an openend defined by a, pair of laterally spaced side walls and a transversecutting blade extending between the side walls. an elevator devicehaving an endless chain supporting a plurality of transverse flightmembers, said elevator device having an upper end and a lower end, alinkage including upper and lower link members pivotally mounting saidelevator device at said open end of the scraper bowl with the lower endof the elevator device being supported adjacent to and above the cuttingblade and being movable about a transverse horizontal axis relative tosaid cutting blade, one end of each of said link members being pivotallyconnected to said scraper bowl and the other end of each of said linkmembers being pivotally connected to the elevator device, a mechanismfor each side wall for adjusting the position of the flight members atthe lower end of the elevator device relative to the cutting blade, saidmechanism comprising an elongated base member rigidly attached to one ofsaid side walls and having an upper portion and a lower portion, saidbase member having an elongated slot formed in the upper portionthereof, the longitudinal axis of said slot being located in a vertical6 plane that is parallel to the longitudinal axis of the scraper, aplurality of upwardly inclined teeth formed in the lower portion of thebase member along an outer edge thereof and along a line substantiallyparallel to the longitudinal axis of said slot, a generally V-shaped armhaving a pair of legs, one of said legs being provided with a resilientmember for supporting the other end of one of said link members, theother of said legs being provided with a pair of vertically spacedparallel pins, one of said pins being located within said slot and saidother pin normally being located between a pair of said plurality ofteeth so as to provide a connection with the base member that allowssaid other pin to pivot outwardly relative to said base member andpermits the arm to move upwardly and downwardly whereby said other pincan be adjustably located between a pair of said plurality of teeth tovary the position of said other end of one of said link members and thespacing between the flight members at the lower end of the elevatordevice and the cutting blade.

1. An earthmoving self-loading scraper having a tractor connected by apull yoke to a trailing scraper bowl, said scraper bowl having an openend defined by a pair of laterally spaced side walls and a transversecutting blade extending between the side walls, an elevator devicehaving an upper end and a lower end, a linkage including upper and lowerlink members mounting said elevator device at said open end of thescraper bowl with the lower end of the elevator device being supportedadjacent to and above the cutting blade and being movable about atransverse horizontal axis relative to said cutting blade, one end ofeach of said link members being pivotally connected to said scraper bowland the other end of each of said link members being pivotally connectedto the elevator device, a mechanism for adjusting the position of thelower end of the elevator device relative to the cutting blade, saidmechanism comprising a base member rigidly attached to one of said sidewalls, said base member having an elongated Slot formed therein, aplurality of teeth formed along an outer edge of said base member, anarm supporting one of said link members adjacent the other end thereofand being provided with a pair of pins, one of said pins being locatedwithin said slot so as to provide a connection with the base member thatallows said other pin to pivot outwardly relative to said base memberand permits the arm to move upwardly and downwardly whereby said otherpin can be adjustably located between a pair of said plurality of teethto vary the position of said other end of one of said link members andthe spacing between the lower end of the elevator device and the cuttingblade.
 2. An earthmoving self-loading scraper having a tractor connectedby a pull yoke to a trailing scraper bowl, said scraper bowl having anopen end defined by a pair of laterally spaced side walls and atransverse cutting blade extending between the side walls, an elevatordevice having an upper end and a lower end, a linkage including upperand lower link members mounting said elevator device at said open end ofthe scraper bowl with the lower end of the elevator device beingsupported adjacent to and above the cutting blade and being movableabout a transverse horizontal axis relative to said cutting blade, oneend of each of said link members being pivotally connected to saidscraper bowl and the other end of each of said link members beingpivotally connected to the elevator device, a mechanism for each sidewall for adjusting the position of the lower end of the elevator devicerelative to the cutting blade, said mechanism comprising a base memberrigidly attached to one of said side walls, said base member having anelongated slot formed therein, the longitudinal axis of said slot beinglocated in a vertical plane that is parallel to the longitudinal axis ofthe scraper, a plurality of upwardly inclined teeth formed along anouter edge of said base member along a line substantially parallel tothe longitudinal axis of said slot, a generally V-shaped arm having apair of legs, one of said legs supporting the other end of one of saidlink members the other of said legs being provided with a pair ofvertically spaced parallel pins, one of said pins being located withinsaid slot and said other pin normally being located between a pair ofsaid plurality of teeth so as to provide a connnection with the basemember that allows said other pin to pivot outwardly relative to saidbase member and permits the arm to move upwardly and downwardly wherebysaid other pin can be adjustably located between a pair of saidplurality of teeth to vary the position of said other end of one of saidlink members and the spacing between the lower end of the elevatordevice and the cutting blade.
 3. An earthmoving self-loading scraperhaving a tractor connected by a pull yoke to a trailing scraper bowl,said scraper bowl having an open end defined by a pair of laterallyspaced side walls and a transverse cutting blade extending between theside walls, an elevator device having an endless chain supporting aplurality of transverse flight members, said elevator device having anupper end and a lower end, a linkage including upper and lower linkmembers pivotally mounting said elevator device at said open end of thescraper bowl with the lower end of the elevator device being supportedadjacent to and above the cutting blade and being movable about atransverse horizontal axis relative to said cutting blade, one end ofeach of said link members being pivotally connected to said scraper bowland the other end of each of said link members being pivotally connectedto the elevator device, a mechanism for each side wall for adjusting theposition of the flight members at the lower end of the elevator devicerelative to the cutting blade, said mechanism comprising an elongatedbase member rigidly attached to one of said side walls and having anupper portion and a lower portion, said base member having an elongatedslot formed in The upper portion thereof, the longitudinal axis of saidslot being located in a vertical plane that is parallel to thelongitudinal axis of the scraper, a plurality of upwardly inclined teethformed in the lower portion of the base member along an outer edgethereof and along a line substantially parallel to the longitudinal axisof said slot, a generally V-shaped arm having a pair of legs, one ofsaid legs being provided with a resilient member for supporting theother end of one of said link members, the other of said legs beingprovided with a pair of vertically spaced parallel pins, one of saidpins being located within said slot and said other pin normally beinglocated between a pair of said plurality of teeth so as to provide aconnection with the base member that allows said other pin to pivotoutwardly relative to said base member and permits the arm to moveupwardly and downwardly whereby said other pin can be adjustably locatedbetween a pair of said plurality of teeth to vary the position of saidother end of one of said link members and the spacing between the flightmembers at the lower end of the elevator device and the cutting blade.